Well-drilling gear.



S. J. MATHEWS.

WELL DRILLING GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20,1912.

1,077,620. Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

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WELL DRILLING GEAR.

APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 20,1912.

Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

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S. J. MATHEWS. WELL DRILLING GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE20,1912.

1 0716%) I Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

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Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

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Marta 1; 627722162 J/ihZ/wi S. J. MATHEWS. WELL DRILLING GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNEZO, 1912. 1,077,620.

I I" L I-I I I I I IJ H H N l'lllvllllllllllr r r I I 7 S. J. MATHEWS.WELL DRILLING GEAR. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20, 1912.

Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

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501221162 Jami/1M yffafw same-s1. J. MATHEWS, or KANsAs aria, missounit.

WELL-DRILLING onus.

s ecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 4., 191a.

Agip lication filed "Julie 20, 1912. Serial No. 704,809.

To all whom. it may comer n..-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL J. MATHEWS,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the countyof Jackson and 5 State of Missouri, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Well -Drilling Gear, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in 1 well-drilling gear, and theimportant objects of the invention are: first, to provide a new anduseful gear of this character which can be driven at a greater cuttingspeed with less power than heretofore; second, to apply the power to thegear in such manner as to reduce torsional strain to a minimum; third,to materially reduce the time ordinarily consumed in removing the gearfrom and replacing it in the well; and 20 fourth, to use less casing inlining the well bore than heretofore.

Other objects of the invention will hereinafter appear, and in orderthat said invention may be fully understood, reference will now be madeto the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the gear in operative position.Fig. 2 is a. side elevation partly in section of the upper portion ofthe gear. Fig. 3 is a side elevation partly in section of a continuationof the part disclosed by Fig. 2. Fig. i is a side elevation partly insection of a continuation oi the part disclosed by Fig. 3. Fig. 5 istion of the gear. Fig. 6 is a central vertical section of a continuationof the part disclosed by Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a vertical central section ofa continuation of the part dis= closed by F ig. 6. Fig. 8 is a verticalcentral section of the lower portion of the gear. Fig. 9 is a. broken,vertical, central section of a dash-pot, employed in carrying out theinventioni Fig. 10 is an enlarged cross section on line X X of Fig. 6.,showing a pair of shoes employed to hold the gear from no tation in thewell bore with the bit. Fig. 11 is a vertical section on line XI-=XI ofFig. 6. Fig. 12 is a detail perspective of one of the shoes disclosed byFig. 10.- Fig. 13 is a cross section on line XIII XIII of Fig.

5, showing part of a seli adjustin'g contact employed in carrying outthe invention.

Fig. 14 is a cross section on line XIVXIV of Fig. 5. Fig. 15 is a. crosssection of a ballacentral vertical section of the upper porbearing online XV-XV of Fig. 5. Fig. 16 is across section on line XVI-XVI of Fig.5, showing a tubular section and a coupling member therefor. Fig. 17 isa cross section on line XVII-XVII of Fig. 6, showing a pair of dash potsemployed in carrying out the mveution. Fig. 18 isa cross section of thebit, on line XVHI XVIII of Fig. 8. Fig. 19 is a central, verticalsection of. a bailer, employed in carrying out the invention. Fig. 20 isa cross section on line XX-XX of F ig.'19. F ig. 21 is a diagram of amotor and solenoid circuit, employed in carrying out the invention IReferring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, 1 designates the customary riggingfor handling the drilling gear, said rigging consisting of a derrick 2,a crown-sheave 3, mounted upon said derrick, a combined englue andelectric generator 4, a drum 5 driven by the engine, and a. cable 6running over the crown sheave 3 and attached at its ends to drum 5 andthe upper end of the drilling gear. 1

For convenience in gainihg access to and 0 assembling the several partsconstituting my improved drilling gear, I connect the same by sectionsof tubing 7, 8, 9-, 10, 11 and l2, see Figs. 1-, 5, 6-, 7 and 8.Sections 7 and 8 are united by an internal coupling membe! 13,containinga bearing 14: in which the upper end of a stem 15 isjournaled. Said Stem extends partway through section 7 and throughsections 8 to 12, inclusive, and terminates at its lower end in a chuck16 to receive the rectangular upper terminal of the bit-shank 17, whichis removixbly-held in the chuck by a coupling 18. Shank 17 (Fig. 8)

is provided with a pair of oppositely-inclined blades 18*, to elevatethe cuttings when the bit 19 is driven in cutting direction, and toassist in raising the gear when the bit is driven in a reversedirection, by bearing against the cuttings. Said blades 18* also agitateany mud which may be encountered in the well bore and thus prevent saidmud from unduly accumulating on the shank and thus interfering with the.operation of the bit.

Bit 19 consists of a. pair of blades 20, re

movably secured at their upper ends in a pair of holders 21 by pins 22,said holders being pivotally-se'cured by pins 23 to a hollow base 24 atthe lower end of shank 17.

.Bit 19 is preferably the fdiin of a reamer 1 to cut the bore of thewell large enough to receive a casing 25 of uniformv diameter, and eachblade 20 has a beveled upper portion 26 to contact with the lower end ofsaid casing 25, to swing the lower outencorners of the blades towardeach other so that they will readily enter the casing when withdrawingthe drilling gear from the Well bore. When the-bit 19 is below thecasing 25, its blades 20 are ordinarily spread apart by a presser-foot27, yieldingly-held in engagement with the adjacent ends of holders 21by an expansion spring 28, which, together with the presser-foot isoperablymounted in a socket 29 in the lower portion of the shank 17. Thecasing 25 is held from rotating with the drilling gear by a clamp 25*,mounted upon the platform of the derrick 2. i

Referring back to the coupling-member 13, (Fig. 5) it will be seen thatthe same has upper and lower oil-chambers 30 and 31, closed at theirouter ends by screw-plugs 32 and 33, respectively, and communicating attheir inner ends through vertical ducts 34. Said oil-chambers areprovided with oil for the purpose of lubricating bearing 14 and thatpart of stem 15 j ournaled therein. The oil-chamber 31 has an outlet 35at its lower end normally-closed by a threaded plug 36, to which accessmay be had through an aperture in the tubular section 8, said aperturebeing normally closed by a screw-plug 37.

Stem 15 is provided-with a thrust-bearing 38, mounted on the upper endof bearing 14 to carry the weight of stem 15 and all the.

parts carried thereby when the drilling gear is being lowered into orraised from the well bore. In addition to thethrust-bearing 38 beingkeyed to the upper end of stem 15, it is further secured thereon by alocknut 39. Stem 15 is also provided with a thrust-bearing 40 o erabl-en a in the lower end of bearing 14 to iece i ve th end thrust of thestem while the bit 19 is cutting. That portion of stem 15 journaled inbearing 14 has a spiral duct 41, communicating with ducts 42 and 43 inthrust-bearing 38 and the lower ortion of bearing 14, respectively, theucts 43 communicating at their lower ends with ducts 44in thrustbearing40. With the foregoing arrangement of ducts, bearing 14 is constantlylubricated during the drilling operation by oil carried upward from theoil-chamber 31 by the spiral duct 41, said oil-chamber 31 beingreplenished from the upperoil-chamber 30 through the vertical ducts 34.

The tubular section 7 is provided at its upper end with a thrust-bearing45, which rests upon ball-bearings 46, carried by the enlarged base 47of a shank 48 attached to cable 6 by a coupling 49. Bearin 45 isprovided at its upper end with a g and 50 and packing 51 to excludeforeign matter 7 from the ball-bearings 46-. Shank 48 is pre vented frommoving downward independently of section 7 by an annulus 52 secured tothe tubular section and abutting against the base 47.

By swiveling the tubular section 7 on shank 48, as described, the gearis -free to turn independently of said shank while being raised orlowered without twisting the cable 6 and an electric cable 52 containinga plurality of wires 52, 52 and 52, communicating at one end with theelectric generator and at their'opposite end with one or more motors 64.In order to prevent the wires 52', 52 and 52 from becoming twisted intheir passage from shank 48 to the 1110- tors 64, I provide aself-adjusting contact comprising binding-posts 53, 54 and 55, threeannular conductors 56, 57 and 58, an insulating plate 59 to which theannular conductors are secured by 'said bindingposts, and three brushes61, 62 and 63, which bear against the-end of conductors 56, 57 and 58,respectively. The insulating plate '59 is secured to base 47 by screws60. The

circuit through the wires 52", 52 and 52 is controlled by a switch A,Fig. 21. Brushes 61, 62 and 63 are operably-mounted in brush holders 65,66 and 67, respectively, secured to a plate 68 in the tubular section 7(Fig. 5), and in order to obtain good contacts between the brushes andtheir respec tive annular conductors, which they slidingly-engage, Iinterpose springs 69 between the lower ends of said brushes and theirrespective holders.

The wires constituting the electric cable 52*, extend outward from theirrespective binding posts through a central duct 70 in shank 48, and intheir passage to drum 5 run around pulleys 71 and 72 at the upperportion of the derrick. and a traveling pulley 73 carrying acounterweight 74 to keep the wires taut and at the same time allow themto pay out so that they will at no time carry the weight of the drillinggear.

The rotors 64 of the motors 64 are keyed or otherwise fixedly-mountedupon stem 15. while the stators 64 of said motors are fixed in thetubular section 10 to prevent them from rotating with the stem.

When the drilling gear is in operation in the bore of a well, tubularsections 7 to 12, inclusive, are prevented from rotating with stem 15and the drill bit, by two sets of] shoes 75 and 76, set at right anglesto each other and operably-mounted in the sections 9 and 12,respectively, (Figs. 1 and 6). Shoes 75 and 76 are adapted tofrictionallyengage either the casing 25 or the sides of the well bore,and since each set of shoes and its actuating mechanism, is a duplicateof the other, I will proceed to describe but one set.

Each shoe 7 5 is provided at its upper and lower portion with a pair ofinwardly-extending rack- 'bars 77, each of which intermeshes with apinion 78, fixedly-mounted upon each end of a short shaft 79 providedwith a centrally disposed fixedly-mounted pinion 80, interm'eshing witha rack 81, integral with asleeve 82 reciprocably-mounted on stem 15*(Fig. 6). Each shaft 79 is journaled in a pair of bearings 83 securedto a dove-tail plate 84, (Figs. 6, 10 and 11) remov'ably-mounted in itsrespective section, the upper reduced end 85 of which is screwed intothe lower end of the adjacent section. Each shoe is held fromindependent upward movement by its uppermost rack-bars 77 slidinglyengaging the underside of the adjacent plate 84, and from independentdownwardmovement by a pair of inwardly-extending arms 86slidinglyengaging the upper surface of the adjacent plate 84. Sleeve 82is drawn upward to throw the shoes outward into engagement with thewalls of 'the bore by one or more solenoids 87, each having-a movablecore 88 fixed to-said sleeve to raise the same when the solenoids areenergized.

The solenoids are carried in the tubular sections 8 and 11, and each isprovided atits upper end with a hollow head 89 carry- 1ng a pair ofoppositely-disposed dash-pots 90, the plungers 91 of which are connectedat their upper ends to a yoke 92, secured to the upper end of sleeve 82to prevent the same from being drawn upward too rapidly by the solenoidand imparting shock to the shoes. Each dash-pot is preferably filledwith oil 'or'other fluid to retard the upward movement of its respectiveplunger 91, the lower annular end of which has a port 93 almost entirelyclosed byla valve 94, which uncovers the port and permits the plunger toreadily pas's'downward through the fluid when the solenoid isdeenergized. The solenoids may have an independent circuit or may be inthe motor circuit as shown on Fig. 21.

In addition to hearing 14, stem 15-is journaled in bearings 95, 96 and97. Bearing 95 is removably-secured in the lower end of section 9, whichscrews into the upperend of the section 10. Bea-ring 96 isremovablyarranged in a coupling-member 98 connecting the adjacent endsof sections 10 and 11, and bearing 97 is removably-arranged in the lowerend of section 12, which lower end is exteriorly-threaded to receiveother attachments, for instance, like that disclosed by Fig. 19. Whenthe type of bit disclosed by Fig. 8 is employed, the-exterior threads onthe lower end of section 12 are protectedby an annularinternally-threaded shield 99. The bearings 95, 96'and 97 extend throughlubricant-chambers 100, 101, and 102, (Figs. 7 and 8) and have ports103, 1-04 and through which oil 'may flow to spiral ducts 106,107 and108, respectively, in stem 15.

Said spiral 'd-ucts conduct the oil upward the full length of thebearings to keep the same and those portions of the stem 15 journaledtherein thoroughly lubricated.

As the drilling proceeds and the cuttings accumulate between bit 19 andsection 12,-the gear is withdrawn from the bore and a bailer 109 issubstituted for the bit to remove the cuttings when the gear is againreplaced in the bore. Bailer 109-consists of a tubular section 110adapted to be screwed upon the lower end of section 12, a tubularsection 111 connected to the lower end of;

section 110 by a coupling 112, a shank 113 adapted to enter the chuck 16and provided Bearing 117 is screwed into coupling 112 and has oil ducts118 and 119 communicating with chamber 116 and a spiral duct 120,whereby oil is carried from the lower portion of the bearing 117 to theupper end thereof when the shank 113 is rotated. -Oil is prevented fromfollowing the bailer shank down through the coupling 112by'a stuffingbox121 at the lower-portion of said'cou'pling member. The lower end ofshank 113 is mounted in a *thrustrbearing "122 secured in the lowerportion of the tubular section 111 and provided with an oil-chaniber123, to lubricate said bearing and that portion of the shank journaledtherein. The lower terminal of tubular section 111 is beveled to a sharpedge 124 to facilitate its passage through the cuttings.

"The operation briefly stated is as follows: When the electric circuitsare closed, motors 64 are energized and rotate the stem'15 and theboring tool coupled to the lower end thereof. As the boring tool cutsits way into the earth, it is followed by the rest of the drilling gear,which is held from rotating by any suitable means until the shoes 75 and76 enter the bore, the walls of which they frictionally-engage toprevent the rest of the gear from rotating with -the boring tool and thestem 15. As the cuttings'in the bore accumulate and fill the spacebetween the tool 19.-and section 12 of the gear, said gear is withdrawnfrom the bore and "the bailer is substituted for the tool '19, afterwhich the gear is inserted in the bore to remove the cuttings. After thecuttings have been gathered by the bailer, the gear is again withdrawnfrom the bore to empty the cuttings and the tool 19 is substitutcd forInt the bailer. These operations are continued until a well of thedesired depth has been drilled.

Should the walls of the bore require reinforcing, this may be readilyaccomplished bypermitting the casing 25 to follow bit 19.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is:

1. In a drilling gear of the character described, a suitable tool, amotor having a stationary part and a rotary part which latter isoperably-connected to the tool to actuate the same, andelectrically-controlled means adapted to coact with the walls of a wellbore in preventing the stationary part of the motor from rotating withthe tool.

2. In a drilling gear of the character described, a suitable tool, amotor having'a stationary part and a rotarypart which latter isoperably-connected tothe tool to actuate the same, andelectrically-controlled frictional means adapted' to coact with theWalls of a well bore in preventing the stationary part of said motorfrom rotating with the tool.

3. In a drilling gear of the character described, a tool, a motor havinga stationary part and a rotary part which latter is operably-connectedto said tool to actuate the same, and electrically-controlled shoes toengage the walls of a well bore to prevent the stationary part of saidmotor from rotating.

4. Ina drilling gear of the character described, a tool, a motor havinga stationary part and a rotary part which latter is operably-connectedto said tool to actuate the same, shoes operably-connected to thestationary part of said motor and adapted to engage the walls of a wellbore to prevent said stationary part from rotating with the tool,integral racks on said shoes to actuate the same, pinions to actuatesaid racks, and means for actuating said pinions.

5. In a drilling gear of the character described, a tool, a motor havinga stationary part and a rotary part which latter is oper' ably-connectedto said tool to actuate the same, shoes operably-connected to thestationary part of said motor and adapted to engage the walls of a wellbore to prevent said stationary part from rotating with the tool, and a'solenoid for actuating said shoes.

6. In a drilling gear of the character described, a tool, a motor havinga stationary part and a rotary part which latter is operably-connectedto said tool to actuate the same, shoes operably-connected to thestationary part of said motor and adapted to engage the walls of a wellbore to prevent said stationary part from rotating with the tool, asolenoid for actuating said shoes, and means to retard the action ofsaid solenoid.

7. In a drilling gear of the character described, a tool, a motor havinga stationary nomoao same, shoes operably-connected to the sta 1 tionarypart of said motor and adapted to engage the Walls of a well bore topreventsaid stationary part from rotating with the tool, a solenoid foractuating said shoes, and. a dash-pot to retard the action of saidsolenoid.

8.. In a drilling gear of the character described, a tool, a motorhaving a stationary part and a rotary part which latter isoperably-connected to said tool to actuate the same, shoesoperably-connected to the stationary part of said motor and adapted toengage the walls of a Well bore to prevent said stationary part fromrotating with the too-l, racks on said shoes to actuate the same,pinions intermeshing with said racks to actuate the same, other pinionsto actuate the first-mentioned pinions, racks to actuate thelast-mentioned pinions, a member carrying the last-mentioned racks, asolenoid for actuating said member, and dash-pots operablyconnected tosaidfmember to retard the 'movement thereof.

9. In a drilling gear of the character described, a tool, a rotatablestem carrying said tool, tubular means in which said stem is journaled,electrically-controlled means to secure said tubular means fromrotation, and a motor inclosed in said tubular means and connected tothe stem to rotate the same.

10. In a drilling gear of thecharacter described, a tool, a rotatablestem carrying said tool, tubular means in which said stem is journaled,frictional means to secure said tubular means from rotation, an electricmotor inclosed in said tubular means and connected to the stem to'rotate the same, a shank swiveled to said tubular means and having aduct, a self-adjusting contact having one part connected to said shankand another part to the tubular means, and electric conductors leadingfrom a source of supplyand through the duct to said motor, saidconductors being connected to the' selfadjusting contact. I

11. Ina drilling gear of the character described, a tool, a rotatablestem carrying said tool, tubular means in which said stem is journaled,a motor inclosed in said tubular means and operably-connected to thestem to rotate the same, a shank swiveled to the upper end of saidtubular means, and a cable connected to said shank to raise and lowerthe same and the parts connected thereto.

12. In a drilling gear of the character described, a tool, a rotatablestem carrying said tool, a plurality of. coupling-members in which saidstem is journaled, a motor in one section and operably-connected to saidstem to rotate the same, shoes operably-mounted in another section andadapted to engage the walls of a well bore to keep the sections fromrotating with the stem, and electrically-controlled means in anothersection to operate said shoes.

13. Ina drilling gear of the character described, a tool, an electricmotor operablyconnected to said tool to actuate the same, tubular-meanscontaining said electric motor, a shank provided with a duct and looselyconnected to said tubular member to allow the same to turn independentlythereof, a self-adjusting contact having one part connected to saidshank and another part to the tubular member, and electric conductorsleadingfrom a source of supply and through the duct to the motor, saidconductors being connected to the self-adjusting contact.

14. In a drilling gear of the character described, a tool, an electricmotor operablyconnected to said tool to actuate the same, tubular-meanscontaining said electric motor, a shank provided with a duct and looselyconnected to said tubular member to allow the same to turn independentlythereof, a self-adjusting contact having one part connected to saidshank and another part to the tubular member, electric conductorsleading from a source of supply and through the duct to the motor, saidconductors being connected to the self-adjusting contact, means forpaying out or taking up said conductors, and means for automaticallytaking up slack in said conductors.

15. In a drill gear of the character described, a casing held fromrotation an undercutting tool to cut in advance of said casing, tubularmeans in which said tool is journaled, said tubular means being capableof vertical movement in the casing to permit the tool to cut in advanceof said casing, electrically controlled means adapted to engage saidcasing to secure the tubular-means from rotation with the undercuttingtool, and means for rotating the undercutting tool.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signa ture, in the presence of twowitnesses.

SAMUEL J. MATHEWS.

Witnesses:

E. C. LILLIAN, F. G. FISCHER.

